Other Unixes Quick Start

Both the server and client components can be run straight from the shell prompt without any additional installation or configuration.  If you are using a purchased version of SyncDat, have your license code ready the first time you run each application.  No license code is needed for trial versions.

1. Extract SyncDat
SyncDat for most unix based platforms is distributed as a .tgz gzip'd tar archive.  Make sure you choose the appropriate package for each platform where you will be trying SyncDat.  On most systems, you can extract the package contents with the command "tar -zxf packagename.tgz" using the applicable package name.  On Windows systems, you will need to right-click on the .zip package and select "Extract All".

After extraction you will have a folder named "SyncDat", possibly with subfolders named "Client Files" and "Server Files" that contain the executables and other files.  You can ignore the other files for now.

2. Run the Server
On the remote (server) computer, locate the servedat executable and run it as follows:

servedat /folder/pathname

giving it the name of the folder you wish to serve.  Upon startup, the server will display version information along with the message "Serving files from: /folder/pathname".  It will then display logs for each transaction.

Depending on how your shell path is set up, you may need to prefix the command with a pathname or "./".  For example:

./servedat /folder/pathname
or
/home/myuser/SyncDat/Server\ Files/servedat /folder/pathname
 
In Quick Start mode, no username or password will be required to access the files in this folder unless you are logged in as root.
 
Only one instance of servedat may be running at a time.  If you receive an error that the UDP port is already in use, check whether you have already installed servedat or have it open in another terminal.

3. Synchronize Files
You are now ready to synchronize files between the server and client workstations.

To see a list of proposed changes without actually modifying either side, type:
syncdat -n localpath servername:pathname

To compare changes made to both directories since the last synchronization, type:
syncdat localpath servername:remotename

To mirror the remote files onto the local directory, type:
syncdat -r localpath servername:remotename

To mirror the local files onto the remote directory, type:
syncdat -l localpath servername:remotename
 
In Quick Start mode, clients are restricted to accessing only the served folder and its sub-folders (RestrictHome).  Absolute paths will be denied.

See the Setup chapter for more detailed installation options and instructions.

If the transfer speed is not what you expected, please refer to the Performance section for information about potential bottle-necks and performance tuning options.

If the client and server appear unable to communicate, verify that you are using the correct server address.  If they are not on the same local network and the server is behind a DHCP device, you will need to setup an NAT port map.  Also check the Windows Firewall settings.  See the Connectivity section for more information on firewalls.